Unwrapping Chains
A. D. Cambou, B. D. Gamari, E. Hamm, J. A. Hanna, N. Menon, C. D., Santangelo, L. Walsh

TL;DR
This paper explores the motion of chains, showing that open chains cannot follow object contours without changing shape, leading to unwrapping during manipulation, with implications for fluid dynamics and chain behavior.
Contribution
It introduces the concept that open chains must change shape during motion and demonstrates unwrapping behavior when pulled around objects.
Findings
Open chains cannot follow object contours without shape change.
Chains unwrapping when pulled around objects.
Implications for fluid dynamics and chain manipulation.
Abstract
A loop of chain can move along its own tangents, maintaining a steady shape. An open-ended chain undergoing a nontrivial motion must change its shape. One consequence is that chains pulled around objects will fail to follow the contours of the objects, unwrapping themselves instead. This short note accompanies a fluid dynamics video submission (83068) to the APS DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion 2012.
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Taxonomy
TopicsDynamics and Control of Mechanical Systems · Computational Geometry and Mesh Generation · Robotic Mechanisms and Dynamics
